These perfectly soft and fluffy dinner rolls are so easy and delicious. Thanks to the Bosch mixer, they whip together quickly. And you won't believe how good they are when you take a bite.
Line a half-size baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a microwave safe liquid measuring cup or in a pan on the stove, combine the milk, butter and water and heat until butter is melted (about 4 minutes in my microwave).
Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment add the sugar, eggs and salt. In a separate large bowl, weigh or measuring out the all-purpose flour, starting with 8 cups (40 ounces).
Working quickly, add the heated milk mixture to the stand mixer. Then add about half of the all-purpose flour (eyeball it). Then add the yeast on top of the flour, making sure that it does not directly touch the salt, the sugar or the hot liquid.
Turn on mixer and mix, adding the additional flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Stop adding flour at this point even if it is more or less than amount listed in the recipe. Dough will still be somewhat sticky. Then let the mixer mix for an additional six minutes.
Divide dough in 24 pieces (each will weigh about 3-ounces) and roll into balls. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheet (they will be fairly close together and touch as they rise. I usually do 6 rows of 4 rolls each)
Cover with a light dishcloth and let rise for 35-45 minutes in a warm place until doubled. The rolls should be very puffy with the sides touching. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until golden on the tops and the bottoms. Butter the tops of the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired.
Flour: I recommend using a brand of all-purpose flour with a good amount of gluten in it. You can also use bread flour but may need to adjust the amounts because it has a higher gluten content. You can also experiment with making this recipe with part whole-wheat or other whole-grain flour with gluten in it. For any roll dough (and most yeast dough in general), always use the flour amount in the recipe as a guideline. The appropriate amount of flour depends on how you measure it (which can vary significantly) and the gluten content of the flour. Also the elevation and climate (humidity and air temperature) affects bread making as well. Instead of adding the flour all at once, add it gradually to the mixer watching carefully until the dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Roll dough will be stickier than bread dough (which results in super soft and fluffy rolls). You will know you have the right amount of flour if the texture of the dough is soft, smooth, and workable, but still leaves a slight residue of dough on your fingers. If you are a beginning bread maker or want a little more info, I recommend you read this guide to baking with yeast.
Yeast: I use the SAF or Fleischmann's instant yeast that I buy in a large block and keep in the freezer in a sealed container.
Make-Ahead: the rolls can be made ahead of time, baked and then frozen in a sealed container (for a couple of weeks) and reheated.